forever then
by fear the unknown
Summary: RemusLily. —"We'll be friends, right?" she asked. Sighing, Remus answered, "For however long you want."


**A/N: I don't know if I actually like this one or not, but I love Remus and Lily. I don't support it romantically since I love Lily with James and Remus with Tonks, but I think that since they are sort of a like, they'd be really good friends.**

**Words: 1507.  
>Pairing: Remus Lupin and Lily Evans.<br>Date Written On: October 9, 2011.**

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><p><em>October 31, 1974;<em>

Remus yawned loudly as he went over the charm in his head. If he could move his arm in the right motion, it would be simple enough to do. Hardly anyone was in the common room, safe for a few first years rushing with their Potions work, all of them muttering to each other about cauldrons. Throwing his legs on the couch, he stretched his stiff body. After one of his more painful transformations a few days ago, he was bandaged quite a lot on his arms and legs. His face wasn't bandaged, though, and anyone could see the scars that were covering the right hand side.

Propping the charms book up on his slightly raised knee, he took his wand from the table and began practicing the wrist movements. His new brown schoolbag was on the floor, practically being crushed under the weight of all his books.

A shuffling from one of the tables the first years were made him curiously look over. They were all packing up their things and heading towards their respective dorms, more than one of them glancing over at the bruised and bandaged third year. Smiling sadly to himself, Remus sighed and looked at the fire that was dwindling, threatening to burn out.

"Remus?" a girl's soft voice startled him, making him jump. This caused his wand to fall from his hand and roll under the couch, and his charms book to fall onto his stomach before landing on the floor, making him groan loudly. He had been bandaged there as well.

"Oh, Godric, I'm so sorry!" said the girl again. Remus looked up at her and saw the fiery auburn hair that settled right below her shoulders and then the pale baby face. He recognized her as Lily Evans, and he blushed unconsciously at his fumble. He thought she was a pretty girl, and she never really stared at him when he came into class late.

Sitting up, he fought off another groan as his body protested about being removed from its comfortable position. "It's okay, Lily," he said shyly as she rushed over to help him retrieve his wand.

Moving slowly, he got onto the floor. He knelt down his knees as Lily did the same, both of them searching for his wand. It was dark under the couch, the light from the fire and candles not reaching it. He watched as Lily sat up straighter on her knees, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, before grabbing her own wand from her nightgown. "_Lumos_," she whispered.

A gold light appeared at the top of her wand. She and Remus leaned back down and she stuck her wand under the couch. "There it is!" Remus announced happily, reaching under the couch and grabbing his wand. He sat back up straight again, twirling the wand in his hand.

Lily smiled and sat up straight again before standing up and sitting on the couch. Remus followed her onto the couch, grabbing his charms book that fell in the process as well. He sat his wand down as Lily said the counter spell to defuse the light from her own wand, nodding happily to herself.

"Why are you up so late?" she asked Remus suddenly, looking at him with her bright green eyes.

"I can't get this charm Flitwick taught us," he answered, moving his hair from his eyes. Despite the fact that he was only thirteen, he could usually find a few grey hairs after his transformations.

"But you're usually really good in charms," Lily stated. She said this so earnestly that though Remus only talked to her when they were both in the library—James, Sirius, and Peter never went into the library, because they claimed that Madam Pince was an evil old hag—or to apologize to whatever slightly crude comment Sirius made, he blushed lightly.

"I've been…busy."

"Do you need any help?"

"You don't mind?" Remus asked, fingering his wand. He watched as Lily smiled at him.

"Of course not," she said as she grabbed his charms book, looking at the spell. She bit her lip as she read over the movements, and then set the book down next to her, turning to Remus on the couch, folding her legs beneath her.

"Okay. Basically take your wand, and move your wrist like this." Lily demonstrated how to move her wrist, and Remus followed her lead, figuring out that it was fairly easy. He smiling happily as Lily laughed. "Now, try the charm."

"Alright," Remus said. Pointing to the fire, he muttered the charm and flicked his wrist. One of the logs from the fire flew up into the chimney before falling back down again, the wood having broken apart, twirling around one another.

"You did it!"

Before he could reply, Remus yawned once again, his eyes watering. He wiped the water from his eyes and breathed out a laugh. "What time is it?"

Lily yawned herself, and then looked at her watch. "Midnight."

"Happy Halloween," he said half-heartedly before reaching down to grab his school bag.

"Happy Halloween, yourself."

As he grabbed his school bag, he felt the sleeve of his long black sweater slide up, revealing his bandaged arm. He pulled his bag up quickly, along with the books, before pulling his sleeve down. Lily had seen his bandaged arms before—a lot of Gryffindors had, but they all thought it was due to James, himself, and Sirius possibly having a bit of fun, causing Remus to get hurt—but he knew that this time it was a lot worse.

The bandages were thicker and though he changed them everyday, he sometimes bled and the blood would show lightly through the wrap. He could point out the pink spots everywhere.

"Are you okay?" whispered Lily, staring at his arms, then at his face.

"I'm fine," he whispered tightly, shoving his books into his bag, along with his wand. He was about to stand up and walk to his dorm, but Lily grabbed his arm. He winced noticeably.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, letting go of his arm. "But honestly, are you okay?"

"I said I'm fine, Lily."

"Don't lie to me, Remus Lupin." The seriousness in her voice made him look at her, his brown eyes wide.

"Lily, I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. I'm no idiot, Remus Lupin," she continued in a serious voice. "You aren't fine."

Sighing, Remus put his bag on the floor again, before getting up and pacing back and forth. "I can't tell you."

Lily stood up as well, and crossed her arms around her stomach. "We're friends."

"I still can't tell you," he said, stopping to stand in front of her.

Remus watched her as she shifted from foot to foot. Lily was watching him as well, her eyes locked on his. She flipped her hair behind her shoulders and cleared her throat. She kept her mouth in a straight line.

"You can trust me."

"I'm not—I _won't _tell you. I just can't."

"You can trust me."

"I can't tell you."

Lily threw her arms in the air before giving in. "Fine, I see you won't tell me."

Remus sighed and tugged at his hair before reaching behind Lily to grab his bag. He winced as the weight of the bag made his arm ache and he put his back pack onto his shoulder, looking at Lily. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I really can't tell you."

"It's okay," Lily said, nodding. She smiled at him before opening her arms. "Hug?" she asked innocently.

"Why not?" Remus laughed, opening his arms and then wrapping them around her. She hugged him closer for a second, and he could smell her hair, which smelled like lemons.

He pulled away at the same time she did and smiled. She yawned and then wrapped her arms around herself tightly. "I'm going to bed," she said as he nodded, walking towards his own dorm steps.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he supplied.

"Yes, but you'll be with Potter, Black, and Peter," she said dramatically, laughing. Peter was the only other one she talked to and called out with his actual name, unlike James and Sirius.

"I'll see you in the library, possibly?"

"If I can get away from Mary."

"Well goodnight, Lily," Remus said, smiling. He yawned and walked about halfway up the stairs before he heard Lily's voice reach to him.

"Hey, Remus."

"Yes?" he called back quietly. He was almost to the boys' dormitories, and he knew that if he talked loud enough, everyone would hear him.

"We'll be friends, right?" she asked.

Sighing, Remus answered, "For however long you want."

"Forever then," she said in an assuring voice. "No matter what."


End file.
